Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Dear Friend, 

At yesterday's Board of Supervisor's meeting, I was proud to support the Proclamation for our retiring elected officials, especially for my colleagues, Supervisor John Foust and Supervisor Penny Gross, and our Franconia District School Board member, Tamara Derenak Kaufax. Thank you to all our retiring legislators for your years of service to our community.

Last week, the Board of Supervisors had a joint meeting with the School Board and the FY 2025 Budget Forecast was presented. You can follow along with the timeline here. During the discussion, I shared that when looking ahead at the revenue projections, I see a need for us to look for ways to diversify our tax base and consider other ways to garner revenue. I also shared that when I was looking at the numbers of students who are on Free and Reduced Lunch (69,000 across FCPS), I would like to look at eliminating the costs for the students who are receiving reduced lunch fees to bring down the cost for their parents. Chairman McKay asked Dr. Reid, FCPS Superintendent, to share how much it would cost to eliminate lunch fees for all students. The next step in the timeline is January 25th, when FCPS Superintendent releases the FY 2025 Proposed Budget. I also want to share the findings from Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study at the direction of the General Assembly on the cost of education in Virgina. The study outlined both the inadequacy of state funding and the flaws in the current state funding formulas. Virginia School divisions receive less K-12 funding per student than the 50-state average, the regional average and three of Virginia's five bordering states.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office. 

Email: Franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov

Phone 703-971-6262

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Table of Contents

1. Invitation to the Board of Supervisors Inauguration 12/13
2. Deferral of the December 5th Public Hearing
3. Clean Fairfax December Message
4. Snow and Ice Maintenance Tips for Residents
5. Seeking Winter Interns

Out and About

1. Virginia Health Center Opening
2. Springfield Gateway Sign Installation
3. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority - National Apprenticeship Week
4. Nature Forward Event

ICYMI

1. In the News
2. Find the Perfect Gift at These Holiday Markets in Fairfax County
3. Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Toys for Tots Drive
4. Shop Small Maker Businesses Through Made in Fairfax
5. 10th Annual Victim Services Division Holiday Gift Card Drive
6. Hypothermia Prevention Program starts 12/1

Inauguration Ceremony 12/13/23

I invite you to join me at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Inauguration Ceremony on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 5 p.m. for the reception and at 6 p.m. for the ceremony at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Virginia.

In response to community feedback and requests I have received to defer the December 5th public hearing on the proposed transfer of property at the current Franconia Governmental Center to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, I made a motion at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, December 5th to defer this public hearing to January 23rd at 4:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact my office at Franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Happy Holidays from Clean Fairfax!

Did you know that the average American household creates 25% more waste during the holiday season? This is the perfect time of year to add a couple of easy, green traditions to your festivities!

1. Choose reusable or recyclable wrapping for your gifts. Reusable wrapping could be a basket, a decorative fabric wrap, or a previously used gift bag. If you like wrapping paper, decorate your own Kraft paper with drawings and natural items (think pinecones, sprigs of greenery, or dried flowers).
2. As you decorate your tree or your home, don’t throw away broken holiday lights. Take them to your nearest MOM’s Organic Market for recycling! They are accepting all holiday lights - working or non-working - until January 31st. The lights get ground up and turned into new, useful products through A Better Way Recycling. Locate your nearest MOM’s Organic market here. Thanks, MOM’s!
3. Heading to a holiday party? Remember to bring your own food storage containers to take home leftovers. You can also use your extra food storage containers that have been clogging up your cabinets to give away homemade treats. Hint: annual cookie swaps can keep swapping the same tins back and forth each year!
4. Are you trying to decide whether to put up a real or fake Christmas tree? This is a tough environmental question, but ultimately, real trees are the better choice. Check out our blog article on the topic. Buy locally to support Virginia Christmas tree growers and to reduce transportation miles: check out the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association site to find a Christmas tree farm near you.
5. Looking for a zero-waste gift idea? How about a donation to a local green organization, like our friends at Fairfax ReLeaf? You can multiply your donation if your employer offers a match, or opt for regular, sustaining monthly donations through options such as the Combined Federal Campaign (Fairfax ReLeaf CFC# 27737).

If you have questions about reducing waste this holiday season, check out the Clean Fairfax website at www.cleanfairfax.org or send us a note at cfc@cleanfairfax.org. We’d love to hear from you!

Shovel More, Salt Less



Road salt plays a key role in keeping Northern Virginia residents safe in the wintertime by melting snow and ice off of roads, sidewalks, and other surfaces that they walk and drive on. However, only one tablespoon of salt can permanently pollute 5 gallons of water. When salty runoff enters local creeks and streams, increased levels of chloride can impact the taste of drinking water, harm plants and aquatic life, and even corrode pipes, vehicles, and other infrastructure.

1.   When it starts to snow, shovel early and often.

2.   If the sun comes out and you can wait, allow time for sunlight to melt some of the snow and ice before you apply salt.

3.   Make sure to clear snow and apply salt only where needed.

4.   After the storm, sweep up extra salt to use again next time winter weather hits. Read the full blog post here.

Visit our website for more information on Snow and Ice Maintenance Tips and Smart Salt Management.

The office of Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk is now accepting applications to fill Winter Intern positions. Internships are open to high school, undergraduate and graduate students. These in-person internship opportunities are for highly motivated students who are interested in local government and would like to learn how a Fairfax County Supervisor’s office runs. Interns will be responsible for assisting staff on a variety of tasks and projects which can be tailored to their interests.

Examples may include:

• Constituent casework
• Land use projects
• Community outreach
• Health and human services
• Communications and social media management
• Event coordination
• Front office responsibilities
• Other Administrative tasks

We are looking for interns who can commit to working 10-20 hours per week in our office for a period of 8-12 weeks. These internships can be flexible based on the intern’s needs, interests, and availability. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov. The application deadline is December 27th, 2023.

Out and About

Find the Perfect Gift at These Holiday Markets in Fairfax County

'Tis the season for holiday light shows, ice skating, Christmas tree decorating, and more fun festivities! The holidays are fast approaching, which also means it's time to embark on your search for gifts. Luckily, Fairfax County has no shortage of holiday markets this year, from Christmas villages to traditional markets to craft shows. Here's where to find unique items for those you love - even if they're the person who already has everything. Happy shopping!

Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department is participating in the 2023 TOYS FOR TOTS Campaign! TOYS FOR TOTS collects new unwrapped toys and distributes them to less fortunate children. Fairfax County fire stations will be accepting donations until Sunday, December 17.

Support Small “Maker” Businesses Through Made in Fairfax

From custom cookies and cake pops to handmade furniture and jewelry, there are numerous small-scale production businesses that call Fairfax County home.

Established in 2018, Made in Fairfax was developed by the county to support and connect small-scale production or “maker” businesses. Today, the Made in Fairfax Network is composed of more than 125 local makers, which are all accessible through an online directory.

Hypothermia Prevention Program

Since 2005, the Fairfax County Hypothermia Prevention Program has prevented death and serious injuries among people experiencing homelessness by ensuring that no one must sleep outside during the winter months. This program - available to any adult in need of immediate shelter - provides warm shelter, food, and other supportive services to help connect guests to a variety of basic needs such as clothing, employment, housing, and more. It remains a highly effective partnership between government, nonprofits, and the faith community. The program will open every day, countywide on December 1, 2023, and ends March 31, 2024.

Overflow shelter capacity in the year-round adult shelters will be available each night starting November 15, 2023. Before that date, shelters will activate overflow capacity during extreme weather events and unseasonably low temperatures, such as most of this week. Overflow shelter capacity is limited. Sign up for Fairfax Alerts, specifically “Homelessness Cooling and Heating Resources”, for information on overflow activation.

For more information visit here: https://bit.ly/Fairfax-Hypothermia-Program

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Rodney L. Lusk

Franconia District Supervisor